ATP Indian Wells - Rafael Nadal not sure of playing Indian Wells Masters Series event as of now

Nadal has been critical of too much play on hard courts ..

ATP Tennis 18 Feb 2013 - 05:24 / by Prakash / reads 33942.Source:

World no. 5 Rafael Nadal is not sure if he will compete in Indian Wells as of now. The Spaniard won the Brasil Open in Sao Paolo on Sunday - only his second event in as many weeks after an eight month injury lay-off.

Nadal will play Acapulco starting February 25th and then will take some time to assess his knee before confirming if he will play Indian Wells. Indian Wells is played on hard courts as is Miami - two of the mandatory Masters Series events on the ATP circuit. Nadal has been critical of too much play on hard courts - saying it damages the players body.

Speaking to the media after his win on Sunday, Nadal commented, " think of Acapulco and nothing else. We are not in a position to think weeks ahead. We'll go day by day, week by week. Let's see how my knee responds in Acapulco, we will discuss when we finish all this clay court [swing] what has happened during these three tournaments and what I thought about it. Then we will see if we are ready to play in Indian Wells or not. It is not a matter of better rivals or surface, is a matter of how my knee is progressing. I have no problem playing against better [quality] opponents better because I accept losing or winning. I understand that it’s been a long time since I competed at the highest level. I have had only had two weeks getting rhythm, but I need time to continue to improve and become competitive."